Device for removing frictionally-held can tops



NO'v. 24,1925. v 1,562,639

- E. HILDEBRANDT ET AL DEVICE FOR REMOVING FRICTIONALLY HELD CAN TOPS Filed May 28, 1923 gnwntoz Edward Hildabrandt;

1 I Harold H.i1d.e.bra.ndt.

DEVICE FUR REMOVE? 5+ EDWABIQ HILDJJBRi-HEDT EEIALRJOLD H PIA'i'EN'lT ()FFlQE.

ILDE'BRANDT. 0F TACQMA, W'ASHINGTQN.

FBICZFIONALLY-HELD CAN TOPS.

Application filed May 28, 19,23. Serial No. 41,931.

To (17K whom may 0012mm:

lie it known tl we, Eowann Hmonnnann'r and Hanocn Hrnnnnunnnr, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of acoma, in the county of Pierce and Fitate of li ashington, have invented certain new and useful improve- .ments in Devices for Removing Frictionally- Held Can Tops, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to. tin cans and par ticularly to tin cans of that type in which the cap or cover is frictionally held.

The object of our invention is to provide a can and cap of this type so constructed that the cap may be easily and quickly loosened from the can so that in opening the can no liability to spilling of the contents will be caused by any violent or sudden movement of the can.

Another object of our invention is to provide means whereby the fact will be evident in case the can .is ever opened after the original sealing and refilled.

Our invention consists of the novel constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out by the claim.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown a can having our invention embodied therein, this illustrating the manner of constructing the same, but being in no sense exhaustive of the various cans to which our invention may be applied.

Figure l is a side view of the head or cap end of a can showing the cap in place.

Figure 2 a section through one side and the adjacent part of the cap of a can, taken on a plane which cuts through the fulcrum projection by which loosening of the can cap is facilitated.

lligure 3 is a similar section taken however adjacent to one of the telltale tongues by which previous opening of the can may be known.

Figure f is a section similar to that shown in Figure 3, except that it is made on a somewhat larger scale to thereby better bring out the details of our invention.

The particular type of friction held caps and cans to which our invention is applied is one in which the metal forming the sides of the cans is beaded or rounded over at the mouth or open end of the can, forming pref erably, a semi-circular roll or flange 11. The cap 2 has its edge drawn so as to form a- U-shaped trough or groove extending about its outer edge and of a size to fit snugly over the rounded flanged rim 11 of the can. In the bottom of the groove in the cap is placed a small amount of sealing materials, 4., this usuall I being a rubber compound solution which in drying forms a coating of rubber by which tight sealing of the cap upon the can is secured.

In making the cap, the outer side or flange the groove which receives the. upper beaded edge of the can body is entended far enough so that when applied to the can its edge will extend materially below the corresponding edge of the bead 11. It is evident that by the application of pressure to the edge of this flange the cap may be forced off of the can. If, however, this be done by striking the same with another object or by resting the flange upon some object while the can body is struck downwardly or pulled downwardly, the loosening of the cap is apt to produce such a sudden jerk of the can body that the contents thereof are apt to be spilled. To prevent such action and at the same time to make the removal of the cap easy, I have provided a means which consists in the formation upon the can body of a fulcrum projection so positioned that an object may be placed between the same and the edge of the flange 21 so as to strongly and yet quietly force the cap and can body apart. Such a fulcrum projection may be most readily formed by forcing outward a portion of the metal forming the can body so as to form a rib or lug as 16. This need not be of any material length. it may however, be made as long as desired.

It is evident that with such projection from the body of the can to act as a fulcrum, a tool, knife blade coin, or any object of suitable thickness may be inserted between this projection and the bottom of the flange 21 to serve as a lever to loosen the can cap. To secure a thoroughly tight grip of the cap upon the can body we prefer that the outer flange 21 be made very slightly conical, the extreme edge of this being of slightly less diameter than the part thereof where the straight portion merges into the curve 20. Such coning is shown most clearly in Figure 4.

To prevent the possibility of opening the can and refilling without indication of this being given, we provide the cap with telltale tongues as 3, which. extend from the edge ill) of the flange 21. These, prior to application of the cap to the can, extend downward in the same general direction as the flange 21. When the cap has been applied these are, however, bent inwardly and upwardly into the shape as is shown by the tongue 3 in Figures 3 and t. These are slight, and a slight bending given them renders them very likely to break off after having once been bent inwardly. In consequence their absence or condition clearly shows whether the can has been opened since it was originally sealed.

The shape of the can is immaterial in the application of our invention thereto. The can may be a round can or a can having straight or curved sides, square, oblong or rectangular, or any polygonal shape. It is preferred that the cap be given two or more of the tongues 3, as otherwise the cap may be removed and replaced without disturbing the condition of a single tongue.

What we claim as our invention is:

A can comprising a body having an outwardly projecting bead extending about its mouth, a cap having a groove formed about its periphery and adapted to fit over and be frictionally held by the beaded mouth of the can body, the outer wall of said groove extending below said bead, and tongues projecting from the outer wall of said groove and bent sharply back towards the can body beneath the head to function as a telltale of the opening of the can.

Signed at Tacoma, Pierce County, lVashington this 22nd day of May 1923.

EDWARD HILDEBRANDT. HAROLD HILDEBRANDT. 

